The Martian Contingency
Mary Robinette Kowal returns to Mars in this latest entry to the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Lady Astronaut series.
Years after a meteorite strike obliterated Washington, D.C.―triggering an extinction-level global warming event―Earth’s survivors have started an international effort to establish homes on space stations and the Moon.
The next step – Mars.
Elma York, the Lady Astronaut, lands on the Red Planet, optimistic about preparing for the first true wave of inhabitants. The mission objective is more than just building the infrastructure of a habitat – they are trying to preserve the many cultures and nuances of life on Earth without importing the hate.
But from the moment she arrives, something is off.
Disturbing signs hint at a hidden disaster during the First Mars Expedition that never made it into the official transcript. As Elma and her crew try to investigate, they face a wall of silence and obfuscation. Their attempts to build a thriving Martian community grind to a halt.
What you don’t know CAN harm you. And if the truth doesn’t come to light, the ripple effects could leave humanity stranded on a dying Earth…
Mary Robinette Kowal
Mary Robinette Kowal writes stories where the boundaries of science fiction and fantasy blur, creating worlds that feel both fantastical and grounded in human experience. Known for her lyrical prose and insightful explorations of technology, emotion, and society, Kowal’s work invites readers into captivating, thought-provoking realms, where the magic of storytelling is intricately woven with real-world issues.
A proud graduate of the prestigious Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa, Kowal’s early career in puppetry and voice acting helped shape her storytelling style, infusing it with rich character voices and a tactile sense of the physical world. She’s a multi-talented creator, with experience both on stage and behind the scenes in theater. This deep appreciation for the art of performance manifests in her writing, where characters come to life with the same vividness as a puppet brought to life on stage.
Lady Astronaut
On a cold spring night in 1952, a meteorite falls to earth and destroys much of the eastern seaboard of the United States, including Washington D.C. The Meteor, as it is popularly known, decimates the U.S. government and paves the way for a climate cataclysm that will eventually render the earth inhospitable to humanity. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated timeline in the earth’s efforts to colonize space, and allows a much larger share of humanity to take part in the process.
Lady Astronaut consists of four books — series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
